Bassett: Pardew has no questions to answer

I can't understand the charade of being seen to shake hands with the opposition manager after games - it didn't bother me one bit whether I did or I didn't.

Very few of them are friends and I wouldn't want to come across as a hypocrite by going over to them and patronisingly patting them on the back.

If we'd won, they would probably have the raving hump anyway so I would wait for their reaction rather than make the effort to go over to them.

I'm surprised Alan Pardew even felt he needed to apologise and the incident proved Wenger is anything but the mild-mannered man we all believe him to be.

Pardew's reaction was a release of pent up emotion after everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks.

A week ago his job was on the line, West Ham are down at the bottom of the league and now they have just beaten Arsenal.

Of course his celebration was going to be a bit over the top, but it was a fantastic moment for him and he shouldn't be worrying what Wenger thinks. If it was me, I couldn't have cared less.

It makes me laugh when I start hearing about all this free love that goes on in the Premiership. It's not a kiddies' club where we are all here to cuddle each other and make sure we stay in a job.

It's a competitive industry and people really ought to know better than pretend or to try to convince me otherwise.

Managers don't care about other managers. Apart from one or two you might see at a dinner or a function, we're not mates.

It's gladatorial on the touchline and there are always going to be a few verbals. Usually it's along the lines of "what game are you watching?" or "you're having a laugh, aren't you?" to the other manager, but I've never seen a confrontation like Wenger's.

He just cracked, but he should have waited until he got them back to the Emirates in April and after they had won 3-0 or 4-0, he could have given Pardew a bit then.

For me, that's when you really show you have a bit about you.

When I was manager of Sheffield United, Neil Warnock was really giving it some after his Notts County team beat us 3-1 at Bramall Lane. I didn't forget it and neither did my players.

We couldn't wait to have another go at them and we had them 3-1 down at County on the last day of the season to send them down. I don't remember Warnock saying too much that day, but my players were absolutely loving it.

If my striker went over the last minute of a game, we won a penalty and we scored the winner from it, I'd think nothing of giving the other manager a wink, but the main thing is that I would expect him to do exactly the same to me.

When I beat another team, I used to sympathise with their manager - usually about three days later.

The only time I came close to a real ruck was at Sheffield United when I was ranting at the linesman and Bobby Gould, who was manager at Coventry, leapt from the dug out and we ended up rolling around in the mud.

I thought he was trying to wrestle me, but he was actually trying to stop me having a go at the linesman.

It's rare for anyone to actually lose the plot completely, but Billy McNeill came close at Manchester City when my old Wimbledon side played at Maine Road.

Billy was going berserk on the touchline and Derek French, my physio, was giving him some stick. Billy ended up chasing him down the tunnel, but Frenchy got to the dressing room and barricaded himself in before he could be caught.

It's a passionate sport and if you scratch beneath the surface, you will see people who are only just clinging to control of their emotions.

Some have got a higher threshold than others, but it explains why players headbutt each other from time to time or get involved in the odd punch up.

I'm not condoning it, but if it can happen on the pitch, it can happen on the touchline.